How do you know QUARANTINE works?

[Kelsykin]

We have our farm shoes and our city shoes. We never wear city shoes here or farm shoes there. We tend the main flock and then the quarantine animals. After tending the ones in isolation I shower and change clothes, I do this with any of the critters I get no matter where or who I get them from.

 

[dawg53]

We have our farm shoes and our city shoes. We never wear city shoes here or farm shoes there. We tend the main flock and then the quarantine animals. After tending the ones in isolation I shower and change clothes, I do this with any of the critters I get no matter where or who I get them from.

There you go, perfect!
Have you had any quarantine animals get sick while in quarantine? (Had to rephrase the question lol.)

 

[Kelsykin]

There you go, perfect!
Have you had any quarantine animals get sick while in quarantine? (Had to rephrase the question lol.)

Twice if I recall and both of those times I had a feeling that we would be doing a longer quarantine.

 

[feathermaid]

@Wyorp Rock is correct. Chickens are simple creatures. However the sky is the limit when it comes to us making chicken keeping complicated. It's best to keep it simple.
Common sense rules. Purchase birds from hatcheries: Dont buy or take in chickens from bird shows, Craigslist, farmer down the road, certain breeders, rescues etc...
When you go to a feed store, dont wear the same shoes when walking into an area where your chickens are located when you get back home, simply change shoes and put on your chicken shoes.
I know the temptation is there but if you MUST HAVE a bird from a breeder, quarantine it a good distance away from your existing flock for at least 4 weeks and dont go nowhere near your existing flock until you change clothes and shoes, and wash up. This will give you time to inspect the new bird(s) for external parasites and treat accordingly as well as worming them. Most poultry diseases will show symptoms in the 4 week quarantine period. If anything, the stress of quarantining will set off disease symptoms, then you can cull.
Look for anything out of the ordinary when acquiring birds from a breeder. Dont be afraid to walk away if there's a single issue. It'll save you heartache and money, not to mention playing nurse maid to a bunch of sick chickens.

This is such good advice... every word! Thank you.

 

[dawg53]

Twice if I recall and both of those times I had a feeling that we would be doing a longer quarantine.

Good for you.
I've normally done 6 week quarantine with chickens to be on the safe side. It paid off once when a couple birds in quarantine started sneezing and head shaking. After 2 weeks of tylan and denagard with no effect, it turned out to be a fungal issue. Oxine took care of it in short order.

 

[feathermaid]

We have our farm shoes and our city shoes. We never wear city shoes here or farm shoes there. We tend the main flock and then the quarantine animals. After tending the ones in isolation I shower and change clothes, I do this with any of the critters I get no matter where or who I get them from.

That makes a lot of sense. Biosecurity should just be a required part of your daily routine, like turning off the stove when you're done using it.

I know I haven't actually worn my chicken shoes to the feed store, but I have worn my city shoes to the chicken yard once or twice to take care of something quickly. I'm not sure how far apart those visits were from the feed store, but I'll definitely apply more discipline to my routine.

 

[Kelsykin]

Good for you.
I've normally done 6 week quarantine with chickens to be on the safe side. It paid off once when a couple birds in quarantine started sneezing and head shaking. After 2 weeks of tylan and denagard with no effect, it turned out to be a fungal issue. Oxine took care of it in short order.

I had a rabbit we took out of quarantine on day 45 He got extra time being underweight and I wanted his weight up. A day or so after being put in with the others he developed snuffles and we had to put him down.

 

[Kelsykin]

That makes a lot of sense. Biosecurity should just be a required part of your daily routine, like turning off the stove when you're done using it.

I know I haven't actually worn my chicken shoes to the feed store, but I have worn my city shoes to the chicken yard once or twice to take care of something quickly. I'm not sure how far apart those visits were from the feed store, but I'll definitely apply more discipline to my routine.

Even a simple step of a shoe scrub station would help. Just a pan with a bit of bleach water and a stiff scrub brush to scrap the shoes would be helpful.

 

[dawg53]

That makes a lot of sense. Biosecurity should just be a required part of your daily routine, like turning off the stove when you're done using it.

I know I haven't actually worn my chicken shoes to the feed store, but I have worn my city shoes to the chicken yard once or twice to take care of something quickly. I'm not sure how far apart those visits were from the feed store, but I'll definitely apply more discipline to my routine.

Once you put biosecurity into practice, it becomes second nature.
I dont go to chicken swap meets, chicken shows, chickens at flea markets etc...chicks brought in to a feed store from a known reputable hatchery that are for sale are in good health and are okay to purchase. I've bought chicks from one local feed store here where I live without any issues.
If you visit someone who has chickens on their property, ensure you spray the bottom of your shoes with a bleachwater solution before and after getting into your vehicle.
If someone who owns chickens visits your property, meet them at their vehicle in your driveway with the spray bottle in hand. It'll go along way protecting YOUR birds.

 

[Cierabug]

I'm nit sure if this is worse or if it helps but when i get new chicks i usually try to bring them dirt,rocks, and grass from areas where my flock has been so if there is anything they carry they get exposed to it slowly instead of suddenly when they are adults after having no exposure to it.